


The Roommate

by Softlight



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Fluff, blake is a shapeshifter and yang adopts her while she's in cat form, shenanigans ensure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25075078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Softlight/pseuds/Softlight
Summary: Yang adopts a fuzzy roommate.  Things, however, are not as they seem.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 30
Kudos: 286





	The Roommate

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everybody! Hope you're all well. Written for sparrowhawk-station's prompt on tumblr! <3

“Yeah, I just found her,” Yang said into her Scroll. 

“Where?” Weiss asked, distaste clear in her voice. “Off the street?”

“She was on my front porch!”

“That cannot be sanitary.”

“We gave her a bath at the vet’s,” Yang huffed. The female cat she had dumbed Bumblebee for her dark black fur and bright gold eyes was currently napping on the arm of her couch. Yang ran her fingers through her hair. “And she got all her shots, and she’s not chipped, and if I didn’t take her in, she was getting sent to the kill shelter. The kill shelter, Weiss!”

Weiss sighed through the phone. “You’ve never even had a cat before!”

“There’s a first time for everything!” she chirped. “I already got her food and a collar and a leash-”

“Yang. She’s a cat. You cannot walk a cat.”

“Watch me.”

Another sigh. “You’re exhausting.”

“You’re not wrong,” she laughed.

A tight sigh. “You know, when I said you needed a roommate, I didn’t mean the fluffy and furry kind. I meant the people kind.”

“I don’t need a roommate,” she said automatically. “It’s my house, Weiss, and it’s my life. I’m fine.”

“You’re lonely.”

“I’m fine,” she repeated. “And I’m not lonely! I’m talking to you!”

“Yes, but you only talk to me, Ruby, and Penny-”

“And Jaune, and Pyrrha, and Ren, and Nora-”

“You need to get out more,” Weiss interrupted. “We need to get you back on the dating scene.” 

It was Yang’s turn to sigh, and she curled a lock of her hair around her finger. “No, we do not,” she said as calmly as she could manage. “I’m happy, and I’m fine. Just because you’re happy in a relationship doesn’t mean _I_ would be happy in a relationship.” Her heart ached, but she ignored it. She didn’t have time for a relationship, and that was that. “Also, aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“I’m the CEO, I do what I want,” Weiss sniffed. Yang rolled her eyes, reclining deeper into her couch. “But I do have a meeting in five minutes, so we’re going to have to make this quick.” Weiss’s voice softened. “I’m happy for you, Yang.”

Yang blew out a breath. “Thanks, Weiss.” She scratched Bumblebee’s furry head, who purred in her sleep. It made Yang’s heart clench in the most pleasant way. “And if I ever want to get back out there, you’re the first person I’d call, you know that.”

“I’m happily taken, thank you very much,” Weiss snarked.

“Don’t remind me,” Yang said, closing her eyes. “I have no idea how those two sweethearts put up with you.”

“Because I’m a wonderful and very generous lover-”

“Gross, Weiss. That’s my sister.”

She could hear Weiss cackling. “Look, I have to go. But I’ll be by later for dinner with Ruby and Penny. We still good for six thirty?”

“Oh fuck, that’s tonight?”

“See you tonight, Yang.” Weiss hung up before Yang could curse again. She dropped her Scroll on the couch beside her and tilted her head back into the couch. She eyed up Bumblebee, who was now awake and staring at her. “We got a lot of work to do, Bee,” she said. 

Bumblebee meowed, and Yang sighed. She held out her arm, and Bumblebee gracefully walked up her arm to place herself around Yang’s neck. Yang stood up, her cat-scarf clinging to her as she moved. “Wanna help me make dinner?” she asked. Bumblebee meowed again, and Yang could feel the vibrations moving out from the feline and into Yang’s skin. 

They walked into the kitchen, and Bumblebee promptly leaped off of Yang to sit on the chair she had claimed earlier. Miraculously, Yang hadn’t had to tell her to stay off the counters or the table. Whoever had Bumblebee before her had trained her well.

Guilt twisted in her stomach as she studied her new cat. Bumblebee was still malnourished and bruised from her last owner’s treatment. Yang patted her cat’s head and gave her a smile as a silent apology. Bumblebee purred, her head bopping against Yang’s hand. She was soft, impossibly so. Despite everything the cat had gone through, her fur hadn’t been matted, and Bumblebee was delightfully fuzzy. 

Yang nervously checked the clock and debated what to do for dinner. Worst came to worst, she could order pizza for the four of them. No one would complain about pizza, especially about the local pizzeria she ordered from at least once a month. She checked her fridge and decided pizza was the way to go, even if Weiss would smirk about it. 

“Pizza it is, BeeBee,” she said. Bumblebee meowed, daintily licking her paw. She held herself impossibly regally, even though she was still injured. 

Yang had been surprised at how quickly the feline had warmed to her. When Yang had first found her three days ago, she had been hissing and yowling. Getting her to the vet had been a journey and a half and gotten her nothing but claw marks that still burned. But she had looked into those golden eyes and known she couldn’t let the beautiful feline go to the kill shelter. After that, it was almost like Bumblebee had known that Yang had saved her. She wasn’t affectionate per se, but she wasn’t fighting her anymore and even let Yang pick her up.

In the past three days, Yang had taken to the cat like a moth to flame. Bumblebee was a sweetheart when she wasn’t fighting Yang, and she loved it best when Bumblebee came to her and demanded pets, even if she asked for said pets at inopportune times. Yang didn’t mind. She needed a friend, even if she had told Weiss she didn’t. 

Weiss, Ruby, and Penny arrived just after pizza had been delivered. “Kitty!” Penny cried out as greeting, immediately handing the wine she was holding off to Ruby before flapping her hands. “Where’s the kitty?” 

Yang grinned. “Come here, Bumblebee,” she said, crouching down to beckon the cat from underneath the table. Bumblebee shrank away. Yang cocked her head. “Are you shy?” she asked. “It’s okay, they’re just friends.” Her voice was soft, and Bumblebee nervously stepped forward. “Penny, come here, and hold your hand out.”

The redhead obliged, bending down beside Yang and tentatively holding her hand out with wide eyes. Bumblebee looked to Yang, who nodded, before gently pressing her head to Penny’s hand. Penny squealed, and Bumblebee shrunk back. “No, I’m sorry!” Penny exclaimed softly. “I just got excited!”

“She’s a little shy,” Yang said. “She was hurt real bad before I got her. I think she’s a little nervous around people.” She started petting Bumblebee once more and smiled at her responding purr. “But she’s a sweetheart. Just be careful.”

Penny held out her hand once more, and Bumblebee bopped her hand. “She’s so soft,” Penny marveled. “I wish we could get a cat, but I don’t think Weiss could take all the fur getting everywhere.” 

Ruby giggled behind them, and Yang bit back a snort. “We’re barely home, Penny,” Weiss said, clearly exhausted from already having this conversation. “We don’t have the time to take care of a cat.” 

“You could get a fish?” Yang suggested.

Ruby clapped, and Weiss groaned. “A fish would be delightful!” Penny declared, standing up and brushing her hands off on her skirt. “We should get a fish.”

Weiss shot daggers at Yang, but Ruby just asked, “Where’s the food?”

“Let’s wash our hands and head into the kitchen,” she said, dragging Penny away from Bumblebee. 

“I thought you said she was clean,” Weiss asked warily.

“You should always wash your hands before dinner,” Yang said, rubbing her hands together underneath the faucet. Weiss wrinkled her nose, and Yang stuck her tongue out at her. “Lighten up, Weiss. Bumblebee’s a good cat.”

“You’ve had her for three days,” Weiss said curtly. 

“Best three days of my life!” she shot back as she sat down and helped herself to a slice of pizza. She moaned around the cheesy bread, suddenly aware of how hungry she was. She swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “How was everyone’s day?” she asked, taking a sip of her water.

“It was a pretty slow day today,” Penny said. “No calls for me, thankfully!” Penny may be small, but she was the strongest firefighter in all of Vale. There had been a competition, and Penny had blown her competitors out of the water. 

“That’s good that it was a quiet day. My meetings went well,” Weiss said. “They were a complete headache, but they went well at least. We’re moving ahead on some new technology, which should be a real asset. What about you, Ruby?”

“I’m heading to the restaurant later, but I spent most of the day working on new recipes,” her sister said. “I can’t quite get the spices right, but I’m getting close.” Ruby’s eyes flicked to her. “What about you, Yang? What did you do today?”

“Hung with BeeBee,” she said casually. “Nothing much.”

Penny, Weiss, and Ruby managed to exchange a look, which Yang still marveled at their ability to do so, even when it grated on her. “Did you go to physical therapy today?” Penny asked gently, but that wasn’t enough to soften the blow of her words.

“Nope,” she said too casually. “I didn’t have an appointment today. I usually go on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

“So did you go yesterday?” Weiss asked, raising an arched brow.

“Yes,” she gritted. 

“Good!” Ruby said, clapping. “That’s really good, Yang. How are you doing?”

She felt all of their gazes pointedly ignoring the elephant in the room and refusing to look at her right arm. She clenched her fist as she folded her pizza in half and brought it to her mouth to buy herself time. The metal of her hand creaked quietly, and she brought her arm back down to her lap to avoid dealing with their acute avoidance. 

“I’m doing good,” she said. “Making progress.” She hesitated, but added, “They think I’ll be good to go back to work in the fall.” 

“And do you want to go back to work?” Weiss asked. 

“I need to do something productive with my life,” she said tightly. She gestured around. “I’m going nuts doing nothing.” She had spent far too many days lounging on the couch and moping about. At least she was moving again, leaving the house again. 

“What’re you gonna do about Bumblebee when you go back to work?” Penny asked. 

Yang shrugged. “She’s pretty self-sufficient. She just needs me to feed her.” Bumblebee was inclined to roam the house, but she did usually stay in the same room as Yang. “I think she would be all too happy to get me out of the house and have it all to herself for a couple hours.”

“This is why you should have gotten a dog!” Ruby said. “No offense to Bumblebee, but dogs are way more loyal! They wait for you to come home! They’re total sweethearts!”

“Yeah, but Bumblebee is cuter than any dog,” she pointed out.

Ruby gasped, holding a hand to her forehead and sagging against Penny, who merely giggled at her girlfriend. “Don’t let Zwei hear you say that!” her sister warned. “He’ll never forgive you.”

Yang rolled her eyes, but she was glad the conversation had drifted from her to a safer topic. Bumblebee curled around her ankles, purring. Yang smiled and leaned down to scratch the top of her head. “Zwei loves me, and so does Bumblebee,” she said. “All animals love me.”

Weiss snorted. “I haven’t forgotten about that bird that pooped on you,” she said.

“That was six years ago!” she said. Bumblebee pulled closer to her ankle, and Yang lowered her voice. “And that was _one_ bird, ages ago.” Bumblebee purred again, nuzzling her ankle once more. Her cat still wasn’t used to loud noises, she had noticed, and it was hard to remember to keep her usually loud voice quieter, but she was trying. 

“It shat in your _hair_. I’m never letting you live that down,” Weiss smirked.

Yang groaned. “Six. Years. Ago. And don’t remind me,” she said, pulling her hair over her shoulder in a comforting motion. “My hair didn’t deserve that.”

The table broke out in laughter, and a smile tugged at her lips. Life was good. Life was really good. 

* * *

She woke up to tiny cries. Yang sat up, instantly moving for Bumblebee who was yowling at the edge of her bed. Yang scooped her up in her arms and began shushing her, gently stroking her fuzzy head. “It’s okay,” she breathed. “It’s all okay.”

Bumblebee was shaking in her hands and still yowling at the top of her tiny lungs. She was trying to scratch Yang, but it was more out of panic than out of malice. “It’s okay,” she said. “I got you now. No one’s gonna hurt you now. I promise.” She kept stroking her head until her cries died down and Bumblebee’s tiny body wasn’t shaking half so badly. Yang gently laid Bumblebee in her lap and watched as she curled up.

Her throat was thick, and she whispered, “It’s okay. I get nightmares too,” she whispered. Bumblebee meowed, as if she was trying to respond. Yang chuckled. “They’re the worst, aren’t that?” 

Bright wide gold eyes looked up at her, catching the moonlight. A small nod of that fuzzy head. Yang gave her cat a half-smile. “I’m sorry someone hurt you,” she said. Bumblebee nuzzled her hand, but Yang continued. “Someone hurt me, too.” Her throat thickened, and she was acutely aware of the absent weight of her metal arm. 

Bumblebee stood on her hind legs to look Yang in the eyes. “But we’re together now, and we’re not gonna let anyone hurt us ever again. Aren’t we?” Bumblebee nodded, as if she could understand. Yang smiled. “I’ll protect you, BeeBee.” She held her cat tight to her chest and closed her eyes. “I’ll protect you. You don’t need to be afraid anymore.” Bumblebee purred, and she gave Yang’s cheek a quick lick. Yang laughed, wiping her cheek. 

“We should get some sleep,” she said. “The nightmares can’t last forever.” She hoped. 

But Bumblebee purred and nuzzled her cheek. Yang let herself fall back against the mattress, still holding the dark cat. “I’m a cuddler,” she warned. Bumblebee simply purred again, settling down on the space of mattress in front of Yang’s chest. “You can wake me up, though. If you have nightmares.” She yawned. “I might wake you up with mine.”

Bumblebee cocked her head. Yang just smiled tightly. “But don’t worry, BeeBee. I’ll take care of you.” Gold eyes blinked at her, and that was the last thing Yang saw before she closed her eyes. “I promise. I’ll take care of you.” She would protect Bumblebee. She could do that much. Even if she had lost her arm. Even if she had lost herself for a while.

She could do that much.

* * *

Yang let out a grunt of frustration as she held the plank, sucking in her breath. Thirty more seconds, according to her timer. She could do another thirty seconds. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to take a deep breath of air as she felt her shaking worsen. Twenty seconds. Fifteen. Ten.

She collapsed to the ground with a groan. “Fuck!” she spat, flopping onto her side. Yang grabbed her Scroll and ended the timer with a sigh before placing it back on the floor beside her. She would try again in a few minutes, but, for now, her core ached, and she needed a breather. She needed a break. 

No, what she needed was her fucking body back. What she needed was her strength back. What she needed was herself back.

A fuzzy tail brushed her ankle, and Yang let out a sharp breath as Bumblebee came up to snuggle. “You still like me, at least,” she muttered. Bumblebee meowed, and a smile tugged at the corners of Yang’s mouth. She sat up and started scratching behind her ears, just where she knew BeeBee liked it best. 

Bumblebee gave her wide eyes, as if asking _Why wouldn’t I like you? You feed me_ and blinked at her slowly. Yang sighed, running a hand through her own hair. “I’m not as strong as I used to be,” she explained. Her chin wobbled. “I’m weak. And I need to get strong again.”

BeeBee meowed, her cute face scrunching up to bare her teeth. Yang rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Weiss says the same thing,” she said. “But I want to feel comfortable in my skin again. If that’s possible.” She sighed, shoulders slumping. Bumblebee pawed her arm and climbed up onto her shoulders. Yang smiled as the feline nuzzled her neck. “Thanks, BeeBee.”

She bent forward and stretched out her legs and back, Bumblebee still curled around her neck like a scarf as she moved. Her lower back crackled and popped, but it felt better as she straightened up. Her Scroll buzzed, and she carefully grabbed it as to not disturb Bumblebee too much as she answered the call. “Hey, what’s up?”

“We got a fish!” Ruby announced.

Yang smiled, letting out a breath. “Only took four months of arguing,” she teased.

“Shut it, Xiao Long!” Weiss called in the background. 

“His name is Barry the Beta Fish, and I love him very much,” Penny added.

“I can’t wait to meet him,” she said as BeeBee purred around her neck. 

“Do you want to come over later for dinner?” Ruby asked. 

Yang pretended to think for a moment. “Are you cooking?”

“I will!” Ruby said.

“Then I’ll be there. What time works?”

“How about five?”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then!” Yang hung up and nuzzled Bumblebee as she pulled up her timer once more. “Alright, BeeBee, let me get back to work,” she said, taking Bumblebee from around her neck and placing her on the floor. Bumblebee hissed, but she strode off, tail waving in the air before settling down in front of Yang’s yoga mat. Yang resumed her position and started the timer once more.

She forced a grin at BeeBee, who meowed in response. Almost as if she was cheering her on. It made Yang’s grin grow. She adjusted her position and held her core tight, taking deep breaths. She could do this. She could definitely do this.

* * *

Yang unlocked her door, humming as she did. She turned and closed it behind her as she took her shoes off and set them by the door. She had left Ruby’s, Weiss’s, and Penny’s early because she had forgotten that she had to get up early for physical therapy. Normally, she stayed until late, but the sun was still out, although it was setting.

She dropped her keys in the dish and strode into the kitchen. Yang froze. “Who the fuck are you?” she asked, voice shaking. The dark hair woman digging in her fridge stilled at Yang’s voice. “How did you get in here?”

The woman turned around, gold eyes wide. “You’re not supposed to be home for at least another hour,” she said. Her voice was a throaty rasp, as if she hadn’t spoken in ages. 

“What the fuck are you doing in my house?” she demanded, ignoring how the woman knew her well enough to know her schedule. “How did you get in here?”

The woman audibly swallowed. She was shaking, Yang realized. “I’m sorry,” she said.

Yang’s heart softened at her broken tone, but that didn’t stop the fear sparking through her. She looked her up and down and checking for any weapons. She was unarmed and, oddly, pantless. Yang’s stomach clenched. The woman was wearing her shirt. “What the fuck?” she heard herself say. 

The woman’s throat bobbed. There was a flash of light, and the woman was gone. In her place sat Bumblebee, who was shaking. Yang blinked, eyes burning from the light, but before she could get accustomed to it, the woman was back with another flash of light. “I’m so sorry, Yang,” the woman croaked.

“What the actual _fuck_?”

The woman was shaking harder. “I didn’t want you to find out like this,” she said. Yang’s mouth was dry. “I thought you wouldn’t be home for a while longer, and I was just so sick of having to drink out of a bowl, and I just wanted a cup of tea. I’m sorry.”

Yang blinked. “Are you my cat?”

The woman, or Bumblebee, tentatively nodded. 

“What the _fuck_?” Bumblebee flinched, and Yang became distinctly aware of how loud she was speaking. “I’m sorry, but what the fuck is going on?” she asked, lowering her voice slightly. She was still angry, still confused, but she couldn’t unsee the woman’s winces in contrast with the way Bumblebee had shook whenever it got too loud.

“Maybe we should sit down,” Bumblebee said.

Yang silently took a seat at her kitchen table, never taking her eyes off of Bumblebee. Bumblebee took a seat across from her. “What the fuck is going on?” she asked again. Her own voice was shaking, and she wasn’t quite sure why. “What is happening?”

The woman took a deep breath. “My name is Blake,” she said. “I’m a shapeshifter.”

Yang’s mouth dried up. “Alright.” She nodded. “Shapeshifters are real. Alright. That’s fine. And apparently my cat is one. This is totally fine.” Panic edged her voice, but she nodded at the woman, _Blake_ , to continue.

“I never meant to- I didn’t want to hurt you.” 

“Why the fuck were you pretending to be a cat?” she demanded. “My cat?”

Blake took a deep breath. “You saw how badly I was hurt,” she said. Yang stilled as Blake continued. “My ex-boyfriend beat me. I had to get away from him, and I did the only thing I could. So I shifted and ran away, and I ended up here. I didn’t have a plan, I just needed to get away from him. But I was in so much pain, and I wound up on your porch barely able to move. And you took me in.” Blake’s throat bobbed.

“You took me in, and you protected me, and you took care of me.” Blake’s golden eyes flickered, so similar to Bumblebee’s and yet so different. “I had planned on leaving once I was better, but you seemed to need a friend.” Yang’s cheeks heated, although she wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or anger. “And I wanted to repay you as best I could.”

“So you pretended to be my pet?” Her stomach tightened. “Did you understand me when I was speaking to you?”

Blake nodded, biting her lip. “I did,” she said quietly. 

“And what? Did you- Do you pity me?” she asked.

“I wanted to repay you!” Blake rubbed her brow. “You helped me, and I wanted to help you, and being Bumblebee seemed to help you.”

“What was your long term plan here?” she demanded. “Just pretend to be a cat until you died?”

“Obviously, I didn’t have a long term plan!” Blake said. “I just- You helped me And I wanted to help you.” 

“I didn’t ask for your help,” she snarled.

Blake winced. “I know. And I never wanted to hurt you, Yang, I just- I didn’t know what to do.” Her voice was pleading. “I was scared.”

Yang faltered. She took a deep breath and leaned back against her chair with a sigh. “What do you want to do now?” she asked wearily. “Because you don’t owe me anything, Blake.”

“But I do,” she said softly. “You saved my life, Yang. In ways more than one.” Blake’s throat bobbed. “And I’ll leave if you want me to.”

Yang looked up at her. “You don’t have anywhere to go.” It wasn’t a question, but Blake nodded. Yang sighed. “You can stay here,” she said. “

Blake froze. “What?”

She shrugged. “You don’t have anywhere to go,” she repeated. “And I have a guest room. You can stay here and get back on your feet.” Her throat thickened. “You can be whatever you want. Bumblebee, or you, or whatever, you can be a human or cat. But you can stay here.”

“I can leave,” Blake said, but she was biting her lip.

“I’m not letting you go back on the street again,” she said. “And you’ve already been living here for six months.” She flexed her fingers. “I can help you get back on your feet, and then you can do whatever you want.”

Blake nodded, but she looked ashamed. “I’m sorry, Yang.”

Yang just shrugged. “I’m going to bed,” she said flatly. “I have physical therapy early tomorrow.” She hesitated. “Do me a favor?”

“Anything,” Blake said instantly.

“Don’t leave the house. I don’t have a spare key to give you, and the locks are automatic. If you get locked out, you’re locked out until I get back.” She rubbed her temples. “And I have some pjs for you.”

“Sorry about the shirt,” Blake said. “I just didn’t want to walk around naked.”

“I get that,” she said awkwardly. She stood up. “I’ll put your stuff in the guest room.”

“Thank you, Yang.”

Yang just pursed her lips and nodded, all too aware of the awkwardness. “Yup. No problem,” she said. She awkwardly walked out of the kitchen and closed the door to her room.

What the fuck was she going to do?

* * *

She woke up to the smell of bacon. Her stomach grumbled, and she practically ran out of bed into the kitchen to see Blake cooking. Somewhere, she had found an apron, and she was standing over a spitting pan and flipping pancakes. “Oh, you’re awake,” Blake said, turning to face her. “I wanted to surprise you.”

Yang blinked at her. “You’re making me breakfast?” she asked slowly. “You didn’t have to do that.” Even if her stomach was grumbling and she was ravenous and it was nice to wake up to someone cooking her breakfast. It was weird, it was so damn _weird_. 

Blake just shrugged. “It was the least I could do,” she said. Blake bit her lip. “You’ve made me breakfast for the past few months. I wanted to repay the favor.”

“You really didn’t have to,” she said. 

“I wanted to.” Blake gave her a tentative smile, and Yang’s stomach flipped. Brothers, she was beautiful. She gave a tiny shake of her head, as if to chase the thoughts away. Blake had been her cat for six months. She should not be thinking about how stunning she was, even if she was in human form. But Yang couldn’t deny Blake’s beauty.

She swallowed hard and poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot Blake had made. “Thank you,” she said quietly, awkwardly. “I appreciate it.”

Blake just nodded and gave her a small smile. 

* * *

“So how did you meet Yang?” Weiss asked, eyes cutting between them.

Yang’s eyes flicked to Blake, who nodded. They had gone over this. “We met in physical therapy,” Blake said easily. 

“Funny, Yang never mentioned you.” Weiss’s icy eyes narrowed to slits. “And you just moved in because?”

“Yang is doing me a solid,” Blake said. “I- My ex kicked me out of our apartment.” Another lie, one they hadn’t discussed. “I needed a place to stay, and Yang was kind enough to offer up her guest room. She’s a really great person, and she’s really helping me out.”

“Yang _is_ a really great person!” Penny agreed brightly. 

Yang took a deep drink of her wine. This had been a horrible idea, but she had no way of hiding that she suddenly had a roommate, and she wasn’t going to force Blake to stay in cat form when Weiss, Ruby, and Penny came over. A dinner with the five of them had been a horrible idea, but they were getting through it. Even if Weiss was suspicious as all hell and grilling Blake within an inch of her life.

“This salmon is really good,” she said, shoveling another bite into her mouth.

Ruby beamed. “Thank you!”

“And how long do you think you’ll be staying here?” Weiss asked.

Yang shot her a pointed look, but Blake just straightened her shoulders and said, “I’m working on getting an apartment already.”

Weiss nodded and took a drink of water. 

“Alright, enough of the interrogation,” Yang said, only half-joking. “How was your guys’ day? What did you all do today?”

“We rescued a cat from a tree today!” Penny said with a smile. “She was so cute, and she was so scared! I felt so bad. But we managed to get her down and back to her family.” Penny’s braid flipped over her shoulder as she turned towards Yang with a tilted head. “Any word on BeeBee?”

Yang shook her head. “No word.” She had told them that BeeBee had run out the door and disappeared. They had put signs up over town with pictures of Bumblebee. It was Blake’s secret to tell, and either way, she wasn’t sure how her sister and her girlfriends would take the news that shapeshifters existed and that magic was real. It was the safer option, for both of their sakes, to not tell them. Still, it felt wrong to lie to them, and Yang took another sip of her wine.

Penny’s face faltered. “I’m sorry, Yang,” she said gently. “I know you really loved her.”

“I do,” she said. She felt Blake’s gaze on her. “But I have no doubt that, wherever she ends up, she’ll be okay. BeeBee is a fighter.” Blake smiled tightly at her, and Yang nodded back. “She’ll be okay.”

Weiss cleared her throat. “On a lighter note,” she said, “I’m glad you two are living together.”

“Really?” Yang, Ruby, Blake, and Penny all said in unison. 

“I am!” Weiss’s eyes narrowed before softening. “You’re taking care of her?” she asked Blake.

“I don’t need to be taken care of!” she snapped.

“Yes,” Blake said with a wry smile. “I’m doing my best.”

Yang glared at Blake and Weiss, but there was no venom in it. In truth, Blake _had_ been taking care of her. She made them breakfast and dinner every day, even though Yang had told her countless times over the past few weeks that she didn’t have to. In truth, it was nice. 

“Good,” Weiss said, apparently satisfied. 

Yang looked over at Blake and gave her a tight smile, and Blake smiled back.

* * *

“Hey, hey!” 

Yang’s eyes snapped open, and she was all too aware of the hands on her shoulders. She jerked out of her grasp and sat up, pulling the covers to her chest. “What’s wrong?” she asked, taking deep breaths.

Blake’s gold eyes glinted in the moonlight. “You were screaming, Yang.” 

“Oh.” Her throat thickened. She brushed her off. “I’m fine.”

“Bullshit, you’re fine.” Blake sighed. “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but don’t lie to me, Yang.”

“I just had a nightmare,” she mumbled. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

Blake ran a hand through her hair, and then there was a flash of light that briefly blinded Yang. Bumblebee was staring up at her and headbutted Yang’s hand. 

“What?”

But Blake pushed her down to the bed, and Yang groaned. “I am not cuddling you,” she said. Blake rubbed her head underneath Yang’s neck, almost as if to say _Then I’ll cuddle you_. Yang sighed, and she begrudgingly accepted Blake into her arms.

“This is so damn weird, you know that?” she said before closing her eyes. Blake just purred, settling on the mattress. She rolled her eyes, but before she knew it, she was asleep.

* * *

Yang woke up with Blake in her arms. It was how she had woken up every morning for the past two weeks, ever since she had had that nightmare and Blake had transformed back into a cat to cuddle. During the night, Blake often wound up transforming back into a human, and at this point they got ready for bed together, and Blake just slept in her bed in her human form. It was weird, it was so damn weird, but it worked.

“You know, you can stay here,” she said one morning over breakfast. She swallowed the bite of pancakes, ignoring Blake’s stillness. “If you want. You can stay here.”

“Yang, I can’t-”

“Yes, you can,” she said gently. “You help me, and you’re kind, and sweet, and maybe I want you here.” She gave Blake a weak smile. “I want you here, if you want to be here.”

Blake’s throat bobbed. “I’d like that,” she said quietly.

* * *

“Hey, Blake?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I take you out?” Yang swallowed hard. “You know, like on a date?” Her palm was sweating, and she wasn’t looking at Blake. 

Blake laughed softly. “I thought you’d never ask.”

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to drop by my tumblr, softlighter, to request a prompt! <3


End file.
